The K-Beauty Tip To Getting Brighter Skin With Rice Water And Green Tea

Here’s a K-beauty tip anyone can follow: use rice water to cleanse your face daily if you want to brighten your skin.Â Does that sound familiar? Well, it was a tip I shared in 2009. And I’m sharing it again because I was reminded of the tip after watching an old episode of Get It Beauty.

When I last shared this tipÂ in 2009,Â I’d mentioned how to collect rice water. If you’ve had missed that post, here are the instructions again:

First, wash the uncooked rice with any clean waterâ€“filtered water if possibleâ€“and collect the water in a basin or bowl.

Cleanse your face with your regular cleanser.

Rinse your face with the rice water.

Towel dry andÂ moisturize as per normal.

Easy peasy right? ButÂ it looks like the Koreans do this a little differently:

Instead of using the rice water immediately, the recommendation is to let the rice water sit for two to three days before using.

Use the rice water as a final wash after you’ve cleansed your face.

Do this daily if you can, if not at least two to three times a week.

You don’t have to rinse out the rice water after you’ve washed your face with it but you can use a green tea spray to get rid of the residue starch on your skin.

Spray the green tea on a cotton pad and gently pat onto your skin.

According to the host of Get It Beauty, both rice water and green tea contains lots of vitamin C and we know vitamin C is good for the synthesis of collagen. In addition, the peptide in the rice water makes the skin firm while the catechin in green tea prevents pigmentation. So this combination is good for anti-aging and skin brightening.

If youâ€™re worried that the rice is unclean, then only keep the water after youâ€™ve washed the rice the second time. Anyway, if you use those rice that doesn’t require washing (I still wash them), the water should be relatively cleaner.

Okay, here’s the Get It Beauty video that shows how you can wash your face with rice water and green tea if you’re still clueless as to how to .

I have used both rice water and green tea to wash and tone my skin but I’ve never used them together. But I will be…very soon, after watching this episode.

Anyway, I like K-beauty is because they also incorporate lots of DIY beauty tips. In fact, you’ll be surprised that some of the tips are recommended by dermatologists or aesthetic doctors. They certainly do not snub at natural ingredients the way some so-called blogging experts (who have openly put down my posts) do. Most importantly, they have better skin to prove that these ingredients and DIY beauty tips work!

I’m sure many Korean DIY’s work, but what’s the science with the rice water? Any “miracle peptide” in the rice will most likely not come out from rinsing the rice; it’ll stay in the rice grains. If any peptide comes out into the water, chances are only a very little bit will,so bound not to do much for the skin if any,and that includes all the other beneficial stuff in it. There’s also a lot of debate on whether or not peptides even work because they seem to be too large of particle sizes to penetrate the skin,but some say they can stimulate cell reproduction by sitting on top of the skin. From what is clouding the water, it is probably from the rice grains being dirty from harvesting, and probably fertilizer residue. I’m sure Korean’s clear,bright skin is do to their 10-minute complex cleansing routines,the many lightening products they use,the deep hydration that they seem to be so obsessed with,as well as their genes,and has nothing to do with rice water. Chances are they are actually harming their skin by doing this because the rice is most likely very dirty and full of pesticide residues,and that cannot be too healthy for the skin. Chances are all the benefits being seen from doing this is really due to the awesomeness of the green tea,and nothing with the rice itself.

Anyway, thanks for mentioning this to us readers. My interest is certainly peaked and I will certainly further look into this. It sounds like an interesting concept.

IF this really does work, I’d put the rice in with water into a pressure cooker for a while. The pressure from the pressure cooker would help squeeze the peptides and nutrients out of the rice into the water, if you let it sit enough. That way 1.) it would be a lot more sanitary than allowing dust to collect in the water if you didn’t cover it up. 2.) You wouldn’t have to wait 2-3 days for it to get really cloudy,and could get it made really quickly with way more nutrients and peptide than if I had just let it sit out for three days.

With the finished product, I’d soak cotton facial pads into it and apply it to my face to allow it to absorb,-basically treat it like a toner. One reason why I have my doubts about the claims with rice water is because, according to you, what makes it do great stuff is its peptide,so by washing your face with rice water,you’ll reap benefits from it. I find this highly doubtful because peptides have to sit on top of the skin to work. If you just wash it off immediately,I’m not sure how it would benefit your skin. If you soaked a cotton round with it,however,and let it stay on your skin, I can see potential. Especially if you use the pressure cooker to suck the “goodies” out of the rice into the water,this sound possibly like a good idea.

The water does stay on the skin because it’s used as the final rinse. The green tea is used to get rid of residual starch. But you raised a good point about sanitation. I suppose if one is not comfortable, then it’s best not to try it at all. I also like your idea just that it may be kind of troublesome for a simple DIY recipe.

Anyway, people who prefer science evidence won’t buy into DIY recipes anyway. I don’t see it as a problem. To each their own. But granted, DIY takes longer and not all the recipes are great. This one however is quite good because I’ve tried it for a season and noticed some brightening. I like using rice powder because that can be used as a mask and for exfoliating.

I believe the Koreans use a lot of DIY recipes in their beauty routines. Many of their celebrities share that view and I don’t think it’s fake since there is no reason for them to fake this aspect. There is a mix and DIY and products…that’s why I like their tips.

This is a really fascinating process, thank you for sharing! I’m always curious about K-beauty routines and I’ve never thought to use rice water and green tea to brighten my skin!Kelly B. last post is: DIY Gold and Faux Marble Nightstand

Well, I certainly will look further into this. It looks interesting,and I see more that it could work now that I know that you don’t rinse it off,especially if you used the pressure cooker. You know, though, if you just soaked the rice water into cotton rounds and rubbed it on your face that way, you’d waste far less than by splashing it onto your face. One batch of rice water could last you for several uses instead of it going all down the sink drain at one use. A lot less messy that would be too!

Do you know if extracting by the pressure cooker will destroy the natural properties? But I did come across another tip that using the water cooked in rice (as in porridge) is also good for the skin. I haven’t looked into that…not too keen cos the water from cooked porridge is sticky.

As for keeping the batch of water, frankly, I rather use fresh rice water. Without preservatives, the water cannot be kept too long. I also think there is benefit in the splashing because the act of washing is different from toning.

Yes, I do know. The pressure will not destroy the natural properties but will actually rather preserve them,and so pressure cooking is known as a very healthy way to cook because it preserves all the nutrients and is awesome for people who want to eat healthy on the go.For example,something that normally takes hours or all day on the stove can be done is 15 min. to about an hour. Like beans usually take 4 hours on the stove,in the pressure cooker it takes 15 minutes. Pressure cooking is an awesome way to eat awesome food but not be chained to the kitchen all day.That’s what makes It so amazing.There’s tons of uses for a pressure cooker.

About the,”As for keeping the batch of water, frankly, I rather use fresh rice water. Without preservatives, the water cannot be kept too long,” that’s exactly why I wouldn’t make my rice water by letting it sit out for 2-3 days. Even by letting it sit out for one day the water would be warm and stale, and if not covered has probably collected dust.By using a pressure cooker you can make the rice water in a short amount of time and store it for at least 2-3 days instead of letting it sit out for that duration. I’d recommend storing it in an air-tight container just like any food or DIY,that way it’ll be good for longer. I’d recommend getting the containers BPA-free.

Interesting…I wanted to get a pressure cooker because I’ve heard about the benefits. But I just got an Airfryer so need to clear out space and plan properly before committing. I have a habit of buying electrical appliances without using them. :p

Yes, the water needs to be contained and probably stored in the fridge if we’re going to let it sit for two to three days. I suppose the K-beauty experts thought it’s a given that people will know how to store them and hence did not mention it.

Yep, rice water really works wonders to brighten your skin and curb blemishes with regular use. Green tea compliments skin in several ways, including toning.

Neem Leaves is another wonderful ingredient for skin care, which does a world of good including reducing acne breakouts, keep skin diseases at bay and what not.Lily Ann last post is: DIY Cellulite Rub for Toned Skin

Hi hi. I’m on the same board as Hannah the Deep Thinker. We’ll need to heat the rice, in one way or another, so all its nutrients leak into the water. Simply drenching the rice wouldn’t be the most effective way to get “rice water.”

Now I myself don’t practice that ritual of heating rice. I ferment my rice instead. So this is a thing that I learned from an Indonesian blogger named Lintang. She was the… pioneer of DIY saccharomyces ferment filtrate. Just type it on Google search box and go to the first site that comes out: Random Wonderland. It’s all in Indonesian, tho, so if you’re not familiar with Malay you might wanna turn on Google Translate.

Anyway yes I just dump my powdered dark glutinous rice into a sanitized container with a lid, add water, a little bit of brown sugar, and then the star ingredient… baker’s yeast from the Saccharomyces cerevisiae variety. I forgot to mention that I sanitize the F out of everything just to make sure nothing nasty gets into my magic potion.

The rest is absolutely elementary. Mix everything and close that lid. Leave it overnight. Check if the texture is mushy. If not, let it ferment for another night. The smell won’t be the most beautiful thing so….

Once I get mushy flour, I transfer it into another sanitized continer and then add propylene glycol & honey to it. Done and I apply the goo on my smug. I let it eat away at my skin for 1-2 hours. It’s gonna be dry but Idc it’s gonna be moist again once I wash my face anyway. After washing, I always–always!!–feel the softest skin that I freaking deserve. The effect lasts for a whole day and it’s certainly cumulative. Don’t tell me it’s not! Haha.

Some scientific people will not believe it, saying it’s anecdotal. Whatever, I’ll just believe in great skin. 🙂 Whatever sorcery behind this fermented concoction is, it makes my skin smooth and soft as hell. Wait, hell shouldn’t be smooth and soft, they say!

So that’s it. I didn’t intend to make it like a blog post but… ugh I’m just being myself. Hope this can be seen by others. Love your blog!

Wow Randy, thanks so much for sharing this tip! It’s great. I hadn’t read about this before and would love to give this a try. I suppose DIY will always come across as elementary to scientific people but there are lots of studies to show that fermentation stuff works well for the skin.I’ll go and read Random Wonderland when I can find the time. Thanks again!

Awesome, Sesame! This fermented mask is so worth the mess. The bonus is it isn’t messy at all actually. Not to mention the price of each raw material is near zero. I mean, just how much would humble brown sugar cost?

My tried-and-true tips: use only a lil bit of saccharomyces babies & add more bulk ingredient (think chocolate powder, clay, those cream masks that come in tubes, up to you) if you feel like the finished product is too runny.

^ That’s what I usually do. I ferment it for 2-3 days inside a sanitized lock-and-lock.

The ugh factor is probably time. It takes time for yeast to turn your rice powder into beauty slime. Try to cook it up 1-2 days before D day.

Ridiculously soft skin awaits. After the mask, I like to spray Secret Key Aura Mist onto my palm and then screw my face.